Convertible chair construction for infants



p 1968 L. J. MESSIER 3,400,976

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR CONSTRUCTION FOR INFANTS Filed June 21, 1967 INVENTOR LEO J. MESSIER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,400,976 CONVERTIBLE CHAIR CONSTRUCTION FOR INFANTS Leo J. Messier, 43 N. Main St., North Grafton, Mass. 01536 Filed June 21, 1967, Ser. No. 647,733 1 Claim. (Cl. 297-118) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A convertible multi-use chair construction for infants comprising a seat, a backrest pivoted and latched with respect to the seat either in an upright or a semi-reclining position, together with folding legs at the lower surface of the seat, and hanger-hooks pivotally mounted with respect to the backrest for supporting the device in a bathtub, sink, or on a car seat, or acting as a safety enclosure.

This invention relates to a convertible chair construction particularly adapted for infants, and the principal object of the invention resides in the provision of a multipurpose structure which can be used to set the child in a safe relationship on the floor or on a table, etc., with means to support the device to be used as a car seat or chair for the infant and also for use secured in position at the edge of a bathtub or in a sink, wading pool, swimming pool, or the like; and another object of the invenion resides in the provision of a semi-reclining backrest for the construction, together with hanger-hooks to support the device on any kind of support, said hanger-hooks serving a double purpose, being used as side safety arms when not in use as hanger-hooks.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating the invention and showing the backrest in semi-reclining position and the hanger-hooks down in sidearm safety position;

FIG. 2 is a similar view but showing the supporting legs folded and the hanger-hooks in operative position to support the device on any kind of object;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view looking in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view looking in the direction of arrow 4 in FIG. 2.

The present chair has a seat indicated at 10. Alternatively this may be a solid frame or it may comprise a pair of tubular members extending in parallel spaced condition in a fore-and-aft relationship and supporting thereon a canvas seat for the infant, this canvas seat being of more or less conventional design and indicated as at 12. There are provided a pair of folding legs 14, 14 having stop pins 16 or similar members thereon for holding them in the operative position shown in FIG. 1 but allowing the folding action thereof as shown in FIG. 2. Thus seat 10, 12 may be provided in an elevated relation with respect to a floor, car seat or the like, at 18, or the legs may be folded so that the device can be set directly on the floor.

With respect to the seat 10, there are provided rearwardly extending brackets .20, it being understood there are two of these brackets which are fixed with respect to the seat and having pivoted thereto a backrest member 22 which again may be either a solid member or a U- shaped tubular member as is indicated at 24 for instance 3,400,976 Patented Sept. 10, 1968 in FIG. 3. If it is a tubular member, it may be provided with a canvas support for the infant s back as is well known in the art.

A past dead-center or knuckle-type lock generally indicated at 26 is adapted to break in the direction shown in FIG. 1 to provide a semi-reclining position for back 22, or the same may be held in past dead-center latching condition, as shown in FIG. 2. In the FIG. 1 position, a stop pin 28 may be provided wherever desired to support the backrest member in the semi-reclining position. Loops 30 or the like are provided for safety straps not shown.

Adjacent the upper end of the backrest 22 there are pivoted a pair of spaced arms 32, 32 and these may be provided with a cross bar 34 to act as a safety device when in the down position shown in FIG. 3 to hold the child in position and restrain him against accidentally falling from the chair. Alternatively, a tray 36 may be mounted on inturned ends 38 of arms 40 which rise from the seat 10 at either side thereof as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The inturned ends 38 may be provided with notches 42 to receive cross bar 34 in a safe condition with respect thereto. The tray '36 may be omitted as shown in FIG. 4.

It will be understood that the parts of this invention may assume different forms but essentially the backrest 22 is pivoted with relation to the seat 10 to be substantially upright when the hanger-hooks 3 2, 32 are used to support the entire device as from a support A which may be the backrest of a front seat of an automobile, the side wall of a bathtub, play-yard, swimming pool, sink, or any other object. In some cases the legs .14 will have to be folded up as shown in FIG. 2 but in other cases the legs 14 may be extended, depending upon the height of the support A.

The construction makes a safe restrictive seat for a very small child especially one who is only a few months old, and the child may be placed in the seat when the seat is on the floor or in a sink, bathtub, wading pool and the like without immediate attention on the part of the nurse, particularly with the arms 32 in their down position as shown in FIG. 1. The main feature of the device is its great flexibility for use in the protective care of relatively young infants and While the details of the invention may be varied within the scope of the appended claims, the convertibility and flexibility of the seat construction will be readily apparent.

As indicated in FIG. 2, suction cups of soft rubber material as indicated at 44 may also be utilized for instance on the backrest and even on the seat itself when the device is used in for instance a bathtub or a sink in order to additionally secure the chair in position.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

1. An infants convertible chair construction comprising a seat, a backrest, means pivoting the backrest relative to the seat for upright or selective semi-reclining positions, means to hold the backrest in either position,

a hanger-hook pivoted at each side edge of the backrest for selective positions between an up or generally vertical condition wherein the hooks may be hung on a support, and a down or horizontal position,

means connecting the hooks in the form of a cross bar extending parallel to the backrest in spaced relation thereto to hold the occupant in place when the hanger hooks are in horizontal condition,

and extending and folding means on the seat to support the chair with the seat in spaced relation to a fiat support with the last-named means extended, or with the seat substantially on the flat support with said last-named means folded,

whereby the chair construction may be suspended by the hanger-hooks and set on the extended last-named means or suspended on the hanger-hooks alone, or set on the extended last-named means with the hanger-hooks down and substantially surrounding the occupant.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS King 297-256 X Chreist 297-118 Remington et al 297-254 Merelis 297-390 Erdos 297-118 FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner. 

